Like Sophie Anderton, I have felt the shame and pain of struggling to have a child of my own

When British model Sophie Anderton revealed a miscarriage left her feeling like ‘damaged goods’, it struck at the heart of Katy Lindemann’s own experience. The agony of a fertility battle never leaves you she says, and only those who have experienced it can understand

Model Sophie Anderton has spoken of feelings of anger and shame after suffering from a miscarriage (PA)

Dried up. Lacking. Inadequate. Deficient.

This is how I felt over the years of trying and failing to have a baby. In a recent interview, former model Sophie Anderton reflected on her experience of own pain, using words that I could have easily said myself. Describing how a miscarriage made her feel like “damaged goods”, behind her smile she hid intense feelings of shame and anger – something anyone who has ever struggled with pregnancy loss, recognises only too well.

Outwardly I’m seen as confident, bubbly and accomplished – in my career as a strategy consultant I’ve travelled the world and delivered presentations to senior executives at some of the best-known global brands. But years of failed IVF and miscarriages left me turning in on myself, viewing my body as substandard, inferior, and fundamentally not up to the job.